Ross Davidson
William Russell "Ross" Davidson (born 25th August 1949 in Airdrie, Scotland and died 16th October 2006 in Frinton-On-Sea, Essex) was a British actor who appeared on EastEnders as the original cast member Andy O'Brien from February 1985 to August 1986 and was the first ever regular character to be killed. He trained initially as a teacher of physical education and taught in a comprehensive school for several years before he decided to be an actor and spent a year at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. After eighteen months of working in Scotland, including three plays at the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh, he decided to move south seven years before his East End debut and spent two seasons in repertory, playing a wide range of parts, at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff, and Worcester's Swan Theatre. He also appeared in Robin Hood, Piaf and Mack and Mabel at Nottingham Playhouse before he moved to London. He appeared in the National Theatre's smash-hit musical Guys and Dolls as a crap-shooter. His television work included The Gentle Touch and Widows on ITV, the BBC TV film Young Shoulders, The Comedy of Errors in the BBC Shakespeare series, and Fell Tiger, a BBC Scotland drama thriller. His films included The Pirates of Penzance and a leading role in Paracelsus, a low-budget film about the famous 16th-century medic. Davidson was subsequently axed from EastEnders just months after the show's inception because of conflict with then-producer and show co-creator Julia Smith. Just before leaving EastEnders, Davidson recorded a pop single, "Jigsaw Puzzle", that failed to chart. He then returned to acting in stage plays and returned to the small screen in 1987 as a television presenter. He presented the BBC lunchtime magazine show Daytime Live and the sports challenge series Run the Gauntlet. Davidson later returned to acting and appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside; the Welsh soap Pobol Y Cwm and also played the role of Peter O'Dell in the Scottish soap Take the High Road for three years. He starred as Andy Morgan in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 1999 to 2002. Davidson's first marriage was to a primary school teacher which ended within three years. He took his ex-wife's maiden name, Ross, as his stage name. While working on EastEnders, Davidson began a relationship with Shirley Cheriton, who played his on-screen girlfriend Debbie Wilkins. The couple separated after five years. He had a son with his second wife, Barbara Black before they married in 2005. They lived together in the Essex resort of Frinton-on-Sea. Black had three children from her previous marriage. In February 2005, Davidson was diagnosed with brain cancer and swiftly underwent surgery. It was unsuccessful, and a month later he was re-admitted to the Oldchurch Hospital in Romford, where he was told that he had a glioblastoma Grade 4 - the fastest growing, most invasive form of brain cancer. In July 2005, Davidson went public with the news that his tumour was inoperable and that his life expectancy was 12–18 months. He died 15 months later from the illness. Category:EastEnders actors